


Don't Give Up

by darlathecyborgpluviophile



Category: Undertale
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, post lots of really murder-y timelines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlathecyborgpluviophile/pseuds/darlathecyborgpluviophile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unofficial sequel to one of Sushinfood's audio dramas; Papyrus remembers violent Resets via nightmares and questions Sans on what has been going on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Give Up

**Author's Note:**

> The Original Post that this is based from: 
> 
> http://sushinfood.tumblr.com/post/131866982695/that1nkyone-here-you-are-sorry-about-how-long-it 
> 
> I reccomend you listen to that first before reading this, or it may not make much sense.

When Sans had sauntered down the large staircase in their living room, he was greeted by the deeply unsettling sight of Papyrus, sitting solemnly on the couch.

His mind still groggy from sleep, Sans couldn’t make sense of why his brother was acting like this.

“Hey, bro. You, uh, you don’t look so good. What’s-” a yawn, “What’s up?”

Papyrus looked at him, puzzled. “You know ‘what’s up’, don’t you?”

Sans stared back. “Huh?”

Papyrus began fiddling with his hands. “You know, the dreams? That we discussed last night?? Do you not remember, brother???”

Sans’ usual cheery grin faltered as the tear ridden argument from the night previous flooded back to his mind. It was a shame, too; this day had seemed prime for lazing around and having a little fun.

“….oh,” was all he managed to get out.

“Look,” Papyrus shifted on the couch a little bit to make more room for him. “I….I know that you don’t want to talk about this. But, Sans, I know you’ve been hiding too many things from me, and now that my mind had decided to torment me at night like yours does with you, I think we need to talk. I said we were alone together, and I meant it. So come on, come sit over here.”

It took Sans a moment to finish descending the stairs and sit next to his brother. The couch was old, and squeaked under his added weight.

“What do you want to know first?” He asked, his voice deep and cold, almost…detached.

“Why do I have these scary memories? You said last night you had told ‘sixty different variations of me’ to stay away from a human, but…”

He sighed and ran a hand down his face; this was going to be a long, mentally taxing morning.

“There’s this…this power, I guess, in our world. People with enough of what’s called 'Determination’ can create these things called 'save points’. They’re little places or moments that they can return to if they need to…change something? Or if they die, they can come back to life at one of these points. Does that make sense?”

Papyrus looked down again. “Kind of? I think? Continue, please.”

“Resets are a little different. There’s a beginning and an end to every period of time. Those who can use 'saves’ and 'loads’ can also reset everything back to the beginning of the timeline they’re in. All of their actions are undone, and no one remembers they happened.”

“But you do?”

Sans didn’t say anything, just nodded his head.

Papyrus reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

“There are only two beings I know of with these powers. One is that human you’ve been seeing in your dreams. Another, before the human showed up, was a flower.”

“A flower? I…..I have a friend who’s a flower…”

“I know,” Sans replied, his monotone disappearing and being replaced with raw emotion and anguish. “I know you do, and it scares me.”

“Wh-what do you mean? He’s been nothing but kind to me. I’ve, uh, even started kind of a fan club for him because he’s so-”

“Not always, Pap.”

Papyrus’ smile faded quickly. “What do you mean?”

“He’s killed you, Pap. More times than I can count. He’s done other things to you too, sick, horrible things, like messing with your mind, or tricking you, or painfully torturing you within an inch of your life, possessing you and making you kill me, Undyne, Asgore, everyone…”

Sans’ left eye was pulsing blue and yellow, and soon he was holding his head in his hands, trying vainly to block out the memories.

“Horrible things. The human isn’t much better, but at least they–at least they-”

“Sans? Sans!? Are you okay?? What can I do?”

He said nothing. The light grew brighter and brighter, and what looked like tears were beginning to form, glistening in the light. Papyrus was beside himself with worry and guilt and confusion. Instinctively, he reached out his bony hand (the one *not* being squeezed to death by Sans) and placed it on his brother’s spine, rubbing in what he hoped would be a comforting manner.

“I’m here right now, aren’t I? So, at least for now, things are okay!! Right?”

Sans began to calm down a little more, and eventually relaxed back into the couch, his eyes shut.

“The human’s a little different,” he panted, struggling to regain his breath, “….but not much better. They just kill you almost every chance they get. It….it hurts. A lot. But at least they’re not torturing you before you die.”

Papyrus looked sadly down at him. “And you’ve been keeping all of this from me??? Why??? Sans, I’m sorry I got mad at you last night, but it directly involves my life, I think I have a right to know-”

“I told you last night, Pap–it doesn’t matter. You’re just going to forget anyway. No one ever remembers these things, no matter how horrible they are. It’s just me, and even then I can’t remember everything. I remember them -both of them- killing you, and killing me, and killing our friends, but there’s just *nothing* I can do about it. And no matter what, even if the events of the timeline are good and we’re all safe, it resets no matter what, and I’m just stuck at the beginning, scared to death of what might happen next.”

Papyrus added nothing. Instead, he scooped his older brother into his arms, noting how he looked so sad and distant and scared in the moment.

It was a long while before anyone said anything, until-

“If…..” Papyrus began, before trailing off. He slowly released his brother from the long embrace and placed him on the other couch cushion. A light seemed to come to his eyes, and he continued. “If I’m having nightmares and flashbacks about all these things I’m not supposed to remember, and you’re having nightmares and flashbacks about things you’re not supposed to remember, then you’re not really alone anymore, are you?”

Sans looked up at him, many questions written plain on his tired face.

“And if I’m just now starting to remember these things, then maybe others can too!! Like Undyne, or Grillby, or any of the dogs in the royal guard, or…anyone!!! Even if that doesn’t happen, and it’s just us, you still don’t have to suffer alone anymore!!!!”

“Heh.” Sans ran a hand over his skull. “Y'know, it’s kind of hilarious that you’re actually happy about the fact that we’re both having chronic nightmares.”

Papyrus only beamed. “If this is what it takes to help my brother, so be it. I do not want to see him suffer in silence anymore.”

“Welp,” Sans said, getting up and stretching. “I vote that, in celebration of this new development, we stay in bed all day.”

“'We’ is not the proper term there. In celebration of this new development, *you* stay in bed all day. I, on the other hand, have things to get done, nightmares be damned. I should probably begin a patrol…”

Papyrus began jogging up the stairs to his room. As soon as he reached the doorknob, Sans called out.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

It took him a moment, but Sans was able to mutter a, “Thanks. For everything.”

“It’s not a problem, brother. Now I’ll be able to help you, and that relieves me greatly. If you’ll excuse me….”

He disappeared into his room. Sans couldn’t help but let a shaky yet relieved smile come to his face.

The intense weight he carried on his shoulders seemed just a bit lighter, now.


End file.
